Marriage: A Right for All

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court expanded the right to marry to same-sex couples in the United States. The Court ruled that gay marriage is a right protected by the 14th amendment and that all states must allow same-sex couples to wed. This 5-4 decision overrides state laws and state constitutional amendments that forbid same-sex marriage. Many groups are celebrating the decision saying that this is a civil rights case that will one day be celebrated like the landmark integration case, Brown vs. Board of Education. Others who oppose same-sex marriage vow to fight the decision saying the court doesn’t have the right to override public opinion and states’ rights to define marriage. Listen to learn more about this historic decision. You can see how this decision will impact different states with this NPR Map and read the decision for yourself.

Related Current Events

On April 28th, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments for and against the constitutionality of state-level bans on gay marriage. This hearing combined four different cases and tackled two big questions: whether state bans on gay marriage are legal, and whether it is legal for states to not recognize marriages from states where gay marriage is legal. The cases sparked a long and heated Supreme Court session. A decision is expected at the end of June. Listen to hear questions and arguments from the justices on this controversial issue.

The Indiana state legislature has been in the harsh spotlight since passing a Religious Freedom Law that would make religious beliefs a valid legal defense against government regulations. This law, backed by the conservative right, was seen as a move to discriminate against or refuse service to gays and lesbians with state approval. Listen to learn how the national media and business community responded by forcing the legislature to pass another bill that does not allow discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Being a working mother is difficult, but being one of the first two females on the Supreme Court may be even harder. Learn how the female judges of the Supreme Court juggled family obligations and the demands of the court. This month is Women’s History month and we are highlighting stories about women.

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